All hands on deck as Round Table helps Sea Cadets get shipshape

Tunbridge Wells Round Table has been helping the Tunbridge Wells Sea Cadet Corps, known as TS Brilliant, to refurbish their hall as one of its Community Projects.

TS Brilliant is made up of around 30 sea cadets, Royal Marine cadets and a naval band aged 10-18, and is based at Albion Road.

The local unit is named after the destroyer HMS Brilliant, which was adopted by the borough of Tunbridge Wells during Warship Week in 1945.

Built in 1931 and weighing in at 1,360 tons, it served with the 18th Destroyer Flotilla in the South Atlantic during World War Two.

HMS Brilliant also served in the Falklands conflict, when the cadets’ President, Commodore Barry Bryant, served as the ship’s flight commander.

There are 400 community groups across the UK, each with charitable status. The Tunbridge Wells Unit was founded in 1935 by the late Captain W A Cable of the Royal Indian Navy.

The local corps has taken part in the town’s Remembrance Day Parade every year since the end of the Second World War.

The Sea Cadets were set up to celebrate Britain’s maritime heritage and contribute to its future development by supporting young people.

James Rose, who managed the project on behalf of Round Table, explained why they have helped the community group.

“We decided to choose TS Brilliant because of its locality and its assistance in developing young people into leaders for life,” he said.

“Many cadets won’t become sailors or marines but it helps them to become a well-balanced individual ready for adult life.”

He added: “Our goal was to provide TS Brilliant with a newly renovated, fresh-looking hall that could be used for many years to come.

“Now the hall is an uplifting place to be, providing a fantastic environment for people to learn and develop.”

Mr Rose said the Round Table also wanted to ‘show the community that this is what volunteering is all about and with good organising skills and support from local tradesmen, this is what we can achieve for our community’.

The following companies assisted with the project: Brewers for supplying the paint free of charge; Finishing Touches for decorating and providing a plasterer; The Perfect Painting Company for painting equipment; and Sussex Wood Floors.

Tunbridge Wells Sea Cadets was inspected by Commander Trevor Price on March 23 and he voiced his approval of the developments.

On that evening Lieutenant Brenda Hide officially passed command of the unit to Sub-Lieutenant Matthew Vanns

Brenda has served the Sea Cadets for 45 years, the last 12 of which she had been the unit’s Commanding Officer.